ABOUT OUR LUXURY TEACHING HOTEL Located on the beautiful Kirkwood Community College campus

The Hotel at Kirkwood Center also has the proud distinction of being the only luxury teaching hotel of its kind in the nation, serving as a learning laboratory for Kirkwood Community College’s Hospitality Arts program. The 350-plus students in this program are excited about the industry and eager to learn; they work alongside experienced professionals who give them constant, daily learning situations – and the students in turn deliver high-value hospitality to you, our guests.

Indeed, service is our most noteworthy hallmark. We boast a one-to-one service employee to guest ratio, and because The Hotel is also a teaching facility, our professional staff is required to bring service to its highest level. Our commitment to superior service has earned us the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) prestigious Four Diamond Award for lodging 12 years in a row. The Hotel is the only Four Diamond award winner in Cedar Rapids and one of only four Four Diamond rated hotels in all of Iowa.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Environmental sustainability is important to us. The Hotel at Kirkwood Center is pleased to be a 2022 TripAdvisor Green Leader Gold Award winner.

We employ the following green hotel practices:

• Seven pumps freeze ice in nine "ICE KUBE" units late at night when energy rates are lowest. That trapped ice then melts the next day, cooling the classrooms, kitchens and Class Act Restaurant when daytime electric rates are much higher. That, along with geothermal ground heat exchanges, cool and heat the 117,000-square-foot facility.
• Advanced controls continually monitor kitchen cooking surfaces, activating air handling on low speed when any heat is detected. If smoke is detected, the fans increase in speed to dissipate the output until it is controlled.
• Six high-efficiency water heaters provide hot water delivery through a series of smart control mixing valves. These allow precise hot water supply even at low flows for the teaching kitchens, as well as hotel guests.
• A system of motion sensors detects occupancy in classrooms or other spaces, turning lights off when no one is in the room. Unoccupied guest rooms are put into a dormant mode. A new guest registration automatically re-activates the room.

ORIGINAL ARTWORK

Constellation, from renowned artist Susan Chrysler White, is a captivating work of art that harmoniously blends form and texture, creating a visual masterpiece that perfectly complements the elegance of our surroundings.

From the artist: The three sculptures began a number of years ago as separate ideas. Each of them grew out of the imagery I was exploring in my paintings at the time. The forms were part botanical, part celestial and part totemic in nature. As I began to consider them as a group, they took on a larger celestial quality. Moving into a light filled studio two years ago, allowed me to realize the importance of the complex transparency in the color of the Plexiglas and, particularly, the fracturing nature of the dichroic panels. 

In the early 90’s, while living in central Mexico, I was fortunate to discover Las Posas, the amazing sculptural gardens of Edward James, set in a rainforest in Xilitla, featuring towering surrealist sculptures amid pools and waterfalls. I have often incorporated sculptural elements in my paintings but, for a number of years now,  have been making large scale hanging sculptural  pieces.  When asked if I was willing to use the existing pool basin in the convention center, I was quite thrilled to incorporate plants into the new piece.